


The Chat of Monte Carlo

by somethingvaguetodo



Series: Can You Hear It Echoing [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU Yeah AUgust (Miraculous Ladybug), Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/M, Fluff, One-Shot, this is more suggestive than my usual so just keep that in mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 10:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15638664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingvaguetodo/pseuds/somethingvaguetodo
Summary: Secret Agent Ladybug loves being paired up with Chat Noir, but doesn't realize just how much this mission is going to change her life.





	The Chat of Monte Carlo

**Author's Note:**

> I'm baaack! Don't expect more so quickly because my birthday is tomorrow!! And I have nothing else already written for this month. This was written for AU Yeah AUgust Day 10: Secret Agents. Takes place in Monte Carlo, and please excuse any incorrect tidbits, it's been many years since I was in Monaco. 
> 
> Also, this is definitely more suggestive than anything else I've posted so far, so I just want to put that disclaimer out there. Nothing explicit by any longshot, I just have been thinking about the young kids that are in this fandom and my own accountability.

“Well, chaton, what do you think?”

Ladybug scanned the room from her spot in the corner. The ballroom in Hôtel Hermitage was as opulent as the rest of the building, but she was well trained in not letting her awe show. 

Chat Noir’s voice came through her earpiece as if he were standing next to her. “I think you look stunning in red. Surely I’ve told you that before.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes but hid her smile behind her champagne flute. For this job she needed to blend in to the wealthy crowd, but not stand out more than any of the other opulently clothed women. She personally disagreed with the idea of a bright red gown if the idea was discretion, but Tikki, her desk agent, had assured her that it would be fine. Besides, the dress waiting for her in the small hotel room in Nice was gorgeous, and she would be a fool as a person and as an aspiring fashion designer not to wear it. It was sleek and rather modest, with an embellished bodice and three quarter length sleeves and a small peplum at her waist. 

Next to most of the women in their designer ball gowns, she barely stood out. 

“I meant do you have eyes on the target?” she muttered in response to him. All she knew was that the comb they were supposed to be obtaining would be on the head of a blonde woman around her age. Her cursory glance around the room showed many blondes, but neither of the two blondes she wanted to see.

“Also remind me why you are waltzing around with a tray of drinks while I have to smile and pose?” This was a simple, but unusual mission for Ladybug. She was quickly gaining the reputation as the agency’s strongest player, and was often sent on reconnaissance and assassination missions. They typically didn’t involve parties for the rich and famous in Monaco, and the acquisition of a small piece of jewelry. She had no idea how this was helping to take down Hawkmoth. But Ladybug knew by now that Master Fu had his reasons for everything, even if she didn’t understand them. 

The other unusual part of this mission was that she and Chat Noir were split up. When they were paired together, they were usually given the opportunity to actually work with one another, but here she was nodding her head at dignitaries while he was somewhere with the kitchen staff. 

Chat’s laugh was clear in her ear. “I can’t be Chat Noir with this crowd,” he said enigmatically. “As a waiter, I’m invisible, which is what I need to be with these folks. Top of the room, by the windows.”

His sudden change in tone alerted her to move, and she started making her way around the perimeter of the room. Ladybug was not interested in having to make any more small talk with the other guests, and the cover story that had been constructed for her reason to be invited to such an exclusive affair felt sticky on her tongue. 

A waiter with a tray of paté was coming toward her. Ladybug quickly drained her champagne and set the empty flute down on his tray. He glanced up at her, his green eyes bright under his bangs, and she let her fingers linger over the ring on his right hand before they separated. Chat’s hair was longer and shaggier than usual, and he was dressed in solid black: a button down with the sleeves rolled and a sleek vest over it, trousers, and patent shoes. The only exception was a pure white bow tie at his neck. 

“You look pretty good in a uniform, minou.”

“You should have seen me in the police officer getup last month,” he answered automatically. She glanced back quickly to see that he was already on the other side of the room, but noticed that he was looking her way. He winked.

Ladybug shook her head as she walked toward the windows. Not for the first time, she wondered who Chat Noir was when he wasn’t working as an agent. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was an anonymous Parisian, which made it easy for her to be Ladybug. Chat had dropped hints, like the one before, that he was someone who fit in and would be recognized in these exclusive social circles.

Chat was a mystery. She didn’t always work with him, but he was by far her favorite to team up with. Carapace was good for tech jobs, and she got along really well with Rena, but Chat made the job fun, despite what had happened the first time they worked together. That was a day she would never forget, but it meant more than she could describe in words that Chat was the one to help her through it. Perhaps because of that, she trusted him more than anyone else. She hated that she never knew when she was going to see him, or even if they would ever be paired up again. 

Ladybug’s attention was suddenly pulled to a woman by the window, her blonde hair piled up on her head in an elaborate updo. Her gown was voluminous and bulky, a flashy yellow tulle skirt taking up most of the space around her. A gleaming comb was nestled in her hair. 

“Spotted,” Ladybug whispered, hoping Chat enjoyed the little joke. His chuckle told her that he did. 

“Work your magic, LB.”

Ladybug made eye contact with the woman, sending her a friendly smile. The blonde raised one delicate eyebrow, her gaze traveling down Ladybug’s dress before sneering. “Something tells me you would have better luck with this woman.”

Chat laughed again. “Unfortunately, you’re right. But we go way back, there’s no way she wouldn’t recognize me.”

Ladybug was curious about that, but didn’t say anything as she pulled her purse open to see what Tikki had given her this time. A pair of reading glasses were nestled between a pack of tissues and her burner phone. She slid them on her face. A tint of green was over the lenses. Night vision.

An idea sparked in her mind. “Chaton, is there an electricity breaker near you?” 

He hummed while looking. “Give me a minute.” Ladybug patiently waited, turning her body to look out the window while making sure to not let her target out of her sight. “So…” Chat began, “I was thinking maybe after this you and I could grab a bite to eat. Café de Paris is open until 2.”

That was… new. And potentially dangerous. This was a lonely job, and they weren’t meant to be friends outside of a mission. Or anything more than friends. She knew that Chat was attracted to her, and she knew that he made her feel more alive than anyone else. It could get dangerous very quickly.

It was a good thing she liked danger.“Depends how quickly you can cut the – ” The lights cut out before she finished her sentence. 

“Sixty seconds before the generator kicks in.” Chat’s voice in her ear spurred her to move, and she quickly darted forward, able to see through the panic of the guests due to her enhanced glasses. She quickly stepped forward toward her target, swiping the comb off her head. 

Ladybug was on the other side of the room when the lights came on, her glasses and the comb tucked into her purse.

She walked at a leisurely pace, listening idly to the conversations of other people, speculating about why the power surged. She slipped unnoticed out of the ballroom, and around the corridors to the lobby. 

“All set, M’lady?” Ladybug hummed, smiling gratefully at the doormen as she exited the building. 

“Yes, what a lovely evening it is,” she commented. She paused for a moment to look at the sky, which had just darkened despite the late hour, before making her way toward the sea bank. 

“I’m sure,” Chat said. “So are we on for eating?”

The air by the docks smelled like the ocean. “Don’t you have a shift to finish, garçon?”

“I can be there in 20 minutes.”

She spotted Wayzz on the deck of a yacht. She didn’t acknowledge him. 

“Give me a half hour. I need to get out of this dress.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

~~~

Ladybug woke up to bright sunlight streaming through the terrace doors. She was confused for a moment, as the room she was in was far nicer than the one the agency reserved for her in Nice.

A glance at who she was laying on reminded her of the night before. 

Judging by the color of the sky, it was much later in the morning than she would have liked. Chat was warm underneath her, and she snuggled into him. One hand rested on her lower back, fingers splayed, the other was slowly and rhythmically stroking her hair. It almost lulled her back to sleep before she realized his movement meant he was already awake. 

“Shit.”

“Good morning to you too,” he said, his voice light. She looked up at his face. When Chat had met her in the restaurant last night, he was almost unrecognizable from the waiter at the party. His shaggy hair was back to short and meticulously combed (“extensions?” she had exclaimed), and he had rid himself of the white bow tie and popped a few buttons. Thankfully he had kept the vest. She could blame that for her lack of self control. 

Now, he looked much less put together. His hair was rumpled, his eyes were sleepy, and his smile was far too sweet and innocent. 

“What?” He asked when she didn’t respond. She propped her chin on his chest. His hand was still running through her hair. 

“I don’t usually do this,” she answered. He smirked. “I mean the whole cuddling-morning-after sweetness. It’s not my MO.”

“So I should count myself lucky you didn’t bail before sunrise?”

Ladybug hummed, not mentioning that had been her plan. 

“You seem to be doing pretty good at it right now,” Chat commented. She could hear the laughter in his voice. 

“You’re warm, the air is kind of chilly. That’s all.”

“I see.”

They lay in silence for a moment. Ladybug tried to decide what to do. She didn’t think she could stand it if she never worked with him again, but how awkward would it be to see each other and pretend this never happened? It wasn’t like there were other options; they were secret government agents. She didn’t know his name, or what he did for his day job, or how he could afford a sea view suite in L’Hotel de Paris. And that wasn’t supposed to change. 

Chat was watching her carefully. He leaned down and kissed her, soft and sweet. It was something that Marinette, before being hardened into Ladybug, would have loved. 

She pushed herself up so she was hovering over him, trying to deepen the kiss because she just couldn’t stand how gentle he was. Chat pulled back, his hand moving so his thumb could graze her cheek. 

“What are you doing?” he asked. 

“If I need to tell you, then I don’t know how to explain last night,” she responded. 

Chat smiled. “Not everything has to be the maximum, LB. I wanted to kiss you just for the purpose of kissing you. Nothing more.”

Ladybug regarded him carefully. “You’re not what I expected,” she muttered, not moving from her position above him. He tipped his head to the side in question. He looked like his code name. “You’re softer,” She elaborated. 

His smile was back to achingly sweet. “Is that a bad thing?”

Ladybug sighed, letting herself drop back down to rest on him. “I don’t want to hurt you, Chat, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize what we have. But I don’t know how to handle a relationship, especially not one with a co-worker. I’m too stubborn, too independent...” She trailed off at the look on his face. “What?”

“You think I don’t know all that already?” He asked. His hand had never left her back, and it felt like it was burning. “You think that doesn’t make you a million times better in my eyes?”

“Chat...” She didn’t know what to say. He seemed content to let her figure it out, and resumed stroking her hair. She could see the tip of a sailboat on the sea. “So what does this make us? Lovers?”

He stilled at the word. “I was hoping you would be interested in the title of girlfriend.” She felt her heartbeat increase, and Chat seemed to understand. “What about partners?”

Ladybug smiled. “Partners.” 

She looked at him, his green eyes sparking and a happy smile on his face. She kissed him then, just because she wanted to kiss him.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I will already say I could see this being a longer piece, and I really want to write their first time working together that was hinted at because I have a lot of ideas... but we shall see!


End file.
